My thoughts on family, friends, news, happenings, etc!

Message from World Vision January 27, 2010

Imagine a refugee camp holding 1- 2 million people. Then imagine having to feed and provide shelter, water, and sanitation for that many people. That’s how daunting it is in Port-au-Prince. That’s why I’ve been calling it the world’s biggest refugee camp. I’ve been to many disaster zones, but I have seen nothing to compare with the situation in Haiti.

I thought I was prepared. But when I arrived within a week of the earthquake, I was just overwhelmed. It’s one of those things that unless you see with your own eyes, you just can’t comprehend. There’s no context for possibly up to 200,000 people dead and millions homeless. There is no quick fix.

The tens of thousands of children and families that are left homeless are now living in the makeshift tent cities that have arisen all over Port-au-Prince since the earthquake. They’ve literally brought their lives to this place, carrying any belongings left from their homes to these tents. The situation is critical as the people of Haiti depend on outsiders for the food, water, and medical supplies needed for survival.

World Vision’s immediate focus is to establish refugee camps and provide the urgent life-saving supplies to those in desperate need. We continue to receive replenishing shipments with emergency supplies to distribute in Port-au-Prince and in the border town of Jimani, Dominican Republic, where thousands of people have now fled. The people are dependent on this aid and will continue to need our help for the weeks and months ahead until they can be settled into more permanent living situations.

People line up for World Vision’s food distribution to earthquake survivors in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

World Vision aid arrives for the refugee camps, providing medical supplies and tarps for those in desperate need.

Please join us in prayer as we continue to lift up those devastated by this disaster, and as we begin to prepare for the long process of rebuilding in Haiti.

In Him,
Rich Stearns
President, World Vision U.S.

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the lord who has compassion on you. — Isaiah 54:10 (NIV)